


Beat Cute

by Polly_Phemus (orphan_account)



Series: Dom Down the Hall [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, BDSM AU, Dom Jensen, M/M, Meet-Cute, Negotiations, Sub Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 03:05:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11139855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Polly_Phemus
Summary: Jared needs some discipline, but where can he get it?SPN Kinkmeme fill. The prompt was too lengthy to fit in this summary box, but basically someone was asking for a story in which Jared needed corporal punishment for work-related reasons but had no one to carry out the discipline...except maybe the handsome dom down the hall might be able to accommodate him.Link to full prompt: http://spnkink-meme.livejournal.com/123887.html?thread=43830511#t43830511This story is about the "meet cute" part rather than the punishment itself.  I'm hoping to write a sequel that addresses that aspect of the situation, but that's not going to happen Right This Minute (more like Probably This Weekend).





	Beat Cute

**Author's Note:**

> My thanks go out to the requesting individual. I liked the request so much I pretty much had to stop what I was doing and start a fill. Since what I was doing was trying to earn a history badge on Sporcle (the quiz site), that means I was pretty darned inspired.

Jared was horrified by what he found in the kitchen. What was the point of having a rabbi certify the place as kosher if the dishwashing staff just threw in the dairy mixer blades with the meat mixer blades "because it's just easier that way, man"? While it wasn't directly Jared's fault, he had been the one to hire the guy responsible and in order to fire him (more for his complete indifference to having made the mistake than having made the mistake in the first place) he had to report it up the ladder. And notify any residents and staff who might've inadvertently broken their religious obligations. 

The nursing home HR manager was sympathetic but told him that he, Jared, had pulled a corporal for himself. Jared shrugged off her apology. "The buck's gotta stop somewhere," he said, and she smiled at him. 

"You'll go far with that attitude," she said. "Farther, I mean." Jared nearly preened at the compliment. Only two years out of college, he was in charge of keeping residents and staff fed...over a thousand meals a day and everyone said the food had improved dramatically over the year he'd been in the position. 

His parents, still about three decades behind the times, hadn't wanted him to go to college. His dad still kneeled next to his mom during dinner, for fuck's sake. Aunt Lucy, though, argued on his behalf, telling his parents how great it would be if he got a degree in home economics. She'd told them how useful Jared's degree would be in attracting a top-notch dom, and told Jared, separately, that such a degree could actually lead to a lifelong career if he wanted it to.

Aunt Lucy had practically raised his dad and had given Jared's mom permission to court, and marry him, and her word carried a lot of weight. And she'd been right: without his nutrition science and management major he'd never have been able to dream of working his way up the ranks into management. Unless he'd been a dom, but he wasn't. 

But now he was in the soup (Jared had very few non-food related metaphors at his disposal, which he felt reflected his dedication to his career) and, per the agreement reached with management, the observant Jewish residents and the rabbi, he had to get at least twenty with a belt and six with a cane by Friday from...someone...or, no matter how much his boss liked him, he'd be out of a job, his mother would do much worse to his ass, with added parental disappointment and probably would insist that he never contemplate paid employment again and then marry him off to a random lawyer or doctor's son like Sub Liberation had never even been a thing that had happened and then continued to happen. So there was no way he could ask her to do it. Aunt Lucy would've been happy to take care of it for him and not judged him too badly, but he'd still feel like he'd disappointed her. And she was in Peru until three days after he had to get the matter taken care of.

Jared didn't have a lot of other options. While he had a good salary, he also had an expensive apartment and an equally large automatic savings deposit (his mother insisted that he had to have a "dowry fund;" while Jared was looking forward to finding someone he could pledge himself to, he was absolutely sure that he'd never pledge himself to a dom who'd want that kind of thing, so he thought of it as a vague but non-marriage related investment that he couldn't tap into just yet). So going to any kind of certified professional would mean skimping on pretty much everything fun for a couple of months. Just because his ass had to take a hit didn't mean his wallet had to. Especially since he'd have to use a credit card and carry a balance for a couple of months at the exorbitant interest rate all unmarried subs were automatically assigned.

So Jared, who would normally bounce home from work and take his dogs for a run, smiling at everyone he saw along the way, was frowning and preoccupied as he rode the elevator up to his twelfth-floor apartment. He was so wrapped up in trying to solve his problem that he barely noticed his fellow passenger, who was barking into a phone about some upcoming case. Until, suddenly, the other man changed his tone of voice completely and said something to his colleague about catching "Wonder Sub" in a day or two. "Always been a fan," the guy said as he disconnected the phone.

Jared was also looking forward to "Wonder Sub;" the character had shown promise in "Batdom vs. Superdom" (although why the doms hadn't just let Wonder Sub handle the kryptonite was a deep mystery to him) and the word on the street was that the movie was good on a number of levels. Not like he'd be able to afford even a matinee ticket, Jared thought morosely.

Still, he wondered who his fellow fan was, and took a closer look.

Holy crap! It was J. Ackles, 12G, the ridiculously good-looking dom-down-the-hall, hair like honey and eyes like olives. Jared had been checking him out surreptitiously for months, but didn't know anything about him beyond that he liked Jared's dogs, had a nice voice, and was always very neatly turned out no matter the time of day or night. 

"A lawyer who likes Wonder Sub?" Jared blurted out and immediately winced at his utter and complete lack of smooth.

J. Ackles, 12G, looked at Jared, who was trying not to squirm. Then suddenly he grinned and for Jared it was game over, he knew he had to get to know this dom better, a conviction confirmed when J. Ackles, 12G, said, "I have nothing to fear from a lasso of truth."

"Wow," Jared said articulately. "But...lawyer, right?" he persisted.

This time J. Ackles, 12G, did look a little annoyed. "We're not all lying scumbags," he said stiffly.

"No!" Jared protested. "That's not what I meant. I was trying to confirm because I kinda need a lawyer and I can't believe I just got on an elevator with one."

"Ah," the dom relaxed a bit. "I don't know if I can help you, but I can hear your problem and at least tell you who can. I won't even charge."

Jared grinned. "Thanks, man. Can you stop by my place in about thirty so I can get some apps ready?"

He got an exaggerated look of awe. "Apps? I have no immunity to canapes! J. Padalecki, 12B, you have found my weakness."

"J for Jared, J. Ackles, 12G."

"Jensen," the lawyer said. Jared extended his hand for a shake; though most people didn't even remember it these days, it hadn't been so long since a dom always waited for a sub to offer the handshake. That was one bit of dom/sub etiquette Jared had always kind of liked, even though it was a patronizing stab at offering subs a pretense of control.

The door opened and Jensen gestured for Jared to precede him. "Countdown to apps starts now," Jensen said, and it was like he was letting Jared go first not because Jared was a sub but because he wanted no time wasted between having been promised food and actually receiving food. As Jared approached 12B, he realized he was probably not far from a full-blown crush.

Thirty minutes later, Jensen was at the door, carrying a tray covered with different kinds of beer. Jared looked askance, his mind partly on his appetizers and partly on rehearsing his speech to Jensen about why Jared needed his help and Jensen should provide it.

"I saw you take your empties to recycling once, so I know you like beer, but I don't know what kind or what would go best with what you're making."

"That's awesome," Jared blurted. "Bring it all in. I've got little tasting glasses and everything!"

Jensen came in, automatically offering his hands to the dogs as soon as Jared had relieved him of his tray. "Can't beat the view," he said. "Why I moved here, really."

"Me, too," Jared agreed. "I love how we've got a green belt for the day and city lights at night."

"Only thing missing is a body of water," Jensen said, sitting comfortably on the sofa Jared had silently indicated he should use.

"Gotta get the food," Jared said and ran to the kitchen. Sure, it was just some dumb small talk, but in just a few minutes he'd found out so much about Jensen...including that they seemed to have a lot in common. "Be still, my heart," he muttered as he plated.

Within ten minutes, they were eating the appetizers and sipping the beer (Jared had picked a couple of IPAs) while Jared told Jensen his tale of woe.

"Are you trying to get out of a corporal?" Jensen asked, frowning slightly as he read the disciplinary order.

"God, no!" Jared was shocked at the idea. He'd earned his punishment fair and square. "If anything, I think they're being lenient. No one was physically hurt, but if my staff's cutting corners on this, God knows what could have happened, the ship is not tight and the captain is responsible. I was just hoping to find a way to get it taken care of without going to a pro or to a family member."

"Ah," Jensen said, relaxing again. "So you figured if you plied me with apps, I'd be a soft touch?"

"Only financially," Jared said. "I'm not looking to shirk pain, here, just financial penalties." Jensen nodded thoughtfully and Jared added, "And not just plying you with food, but also maybe taking you to see 'Wonder Sub'." Jared blushed. He hadn't meant to be so forward; it was the kind of thing subs he admired but never thought he could be like might say. Not subs like him who, education and career notwithstanding, had grown up in the kind of household where the sub spouse got a weekly strapping whether they'd done anything bad or not, just as a reminder.

"Deal," Jensen said abruptly. 

"Oh, thanks, man," Jared said. "When...?"

"Not tonight or here," Jensen said, leaning forward, suddenly very business-like, pulling out his phone to look at his schedule. "We gotta do this by the book. You report to my office on Peachtree Friday at noon sharp, I'll sort you out, fill out the paperwork, and not see you for at least twenty-four hours afterward."

"Is that how it works?" Jared had never gotten a corporate corporal before and had been concentrating on the "who" part too much to concern himself with the "how" part.

"Yep," Jensen said. "My specialty isn't corporal disciplinary law, but as a member of the bar, I'm certified to provide it and I need to do so as professionally as possible. Especially," he added, "since my reimbursement involves going on a date with my hot client."

"Oh," Jared breathed. This was going so much better than he could've dreamed. Not that he wanted his ass whipped by Jensen...at least not for screwing up at work...but he definitely wanted a date with him. So maybe this wasn't how he would've wanted it to happen, but the important part is that it was happening.

"Our on-site medic owes me one, so she'll witness, supervise and provide physical aftercare. For corporate, I'm afraid, I can't do psychological."

"That's fine," Jared said. "For this kind of thing, I don't really need it. I take my licks, absorb the lesson and consider the punishment and forgiveness as kind of the same thing."

"Good," Jensen nodded approvingly, still in lawyer mode. "That's the attitude we take as lawyers, so that's why we have that as our policy. If you'd felt differently, I would've had to refer you to a disciplinary psychologist to make sure your punishment met your needs as well as those of the law."

"And the attitude you take as..." Jared broke off, cursing his impulsiveness. They hadn't even gone on their date yet! In two days, Jensen would be representing their justice system all over Jared's ass! It was hardly the time to start negotiating any kind of personal dynamic.

Jensen, though, just smiled at Jared. "I'm pretty sure you'll find out soon enough," he said and Jared shivered at the promise.

"Which just leaves me with one problem," Jared said.

"Oh?"

"Which Peachtree?"

**Author's Note:**

> Jared's apartment building is based on one I saw on an episode of "House Hunters" that was set in Atlanta. Aunt Lucy's arguments in favor of Jared's parents letting him go to college to major in home ec. are based "The Home Economics Story," a 1950s Iowa State proto-infomercial for its Home Ec program; it can be found on YouTube both in its original state and with Joel and the Bots giving it the MST3K treatment. The etiquette about who offers their hand to shake first is based on old-school male/female handshake etiquette in the US.


End file.
